Traumatic brain injury

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) occurs when an external force causes damage to the brain.

• There are around 100 mild head injuries in New Zealand every day.
• Men are twice as likely to suffer mild TBI as women.
• Men are 3 times more likely to suffer moderate TBI than women.

TBI ranges in severity of damage and symptoms; however, our understanding of how the brain responds, even to mild injury, is still in its infancy, and research is ongoing to learn more about how blunt trauma can increase the risk of a wide variety of neurological conditions.

Brain injuries are extremely common in New Zealand, with cases ranging from mild concussion to the more severe. When someone suffers a brain injury, we use a measure called the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to describe their level of consciousness. GCS measures a person’s motor, verbal and eye responses on a scale of 3 to 15, with 15 being perfectly awake and conscious.

Unfortunately, GCS is not a good measure for the long-term effects of a brain injury, and ongoing symptoms vary greatly. If you receive a head injury of any kind and are concussed, you should consult a medical professional immediately.

Signs and symptoms

TBI can result in a range of problems. Some of the immediate symptoms might include:

• headache
• vomiting and Nausea
• confusion
• blurred vision
• ringing in the ears
• sensitivity to light
• dizziness and loss of coordination
• loss of consciousness
• slurred speech.

If someone receives a head injury and is suffering any of these symptoms, you should call 111 immediately.

The long-term effects of brain injury will vary greatly and depend on the severity and part of the brain affected by the injury. Brain injury patients often present with significant changes in mood, behaviour, cognitive reasoning and sensory perception.

Causes and treatment

A traumatic brain injury occurs when the head receives a force significant enough that the skull cannot entirely protect the brain.

The most common causes of TBI are sporting injuries, motor vehicle accidents, assault and falls. 

Support organisations

Headway — headway.org.nz

Brain Injury New Zealand — brain-injury.nz